Stillbirth
Debate, Discuss, and Learn
This section offers information related to additional partners, forums, or resources for continued learning and discussion. It may include related collections, blog posts, and communities of practice.
From the AlignMNH Blog
Overcoming the Silence Around Stillbirths
By Rakhi Dandona
Every 16 seconds, a family loses a child to stillbirth. The months they spent planning for their baby, feeling the baby grow and move, imagining their family’s future—cut short, and often without explanation from a health system ill-equipped to provide the respectful, compassionate bereavement care families deserve… Read More
Featured Blog Posts
Shrouded in Silence: The Untold Story of Stillbirths
By Danzhen You and Naomi Lindt, UNICEF Connect
Oyele, who is from Nigeria, and her husband were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first child. But then, tragedy struck: The baby was stillborn. In a flash, Oyele’s dreams of motherhood vanished.
“I have little to say about him because I did not see him. He was taken away before I became fully conscious. My husband said he looked like me, but I wish I had seen him myself. He was a boy.
The loss of my baby changed so many things about me. Telling people was so shameful. People [said] it was my fault that the baby died, and I started blaming myself too, telling myself that I was not careful enough. I went home [from work] every day crying.” Read more.
Stillbirth Rate Rises Dramatically During Pandemic
By the Healthy Newborn Network Team
A slew of studies from around the world has reported a disturbing trend: since the coronavirus pandemic started, there has been a significant rise in the proportion of pregnancies ending in stillbirths, in which babies die in the womb. Researchers say that in some countries, pregnant women have received less care than they need because of lockdown restrictions and disruptions to health care. As a result, complications that can lead to stillbirths were probably missed, they say... Read more.
Additional Learning
Further learning about Stillbirth as an MNH priority can be found on the related Healthy Newborn Network site , which provides a global overview of the global burden of stillbirth, a summary of the evidence, as well as key resources, blog posts, and related features in the news.
During the AlignMNH Opening Forum session “Data and Parent Voices to End Preventable Deaths” in April 2021, we heard from women who courageously spoke of the babies they hold in their hearts, but not in their arms, offering important lessons about the need for clear and honest information, respectful bereavement care, psycho-emotional support, the opportunity to hold their baby if they would like to, and the freedom to voice their needs and stories. They suggested simple measures that could improve the experience of care for women and families following a stillbirth, including moving new parents out of the maternity ward, or offering more provider sensitization to the needs of women grieving this loss.
Further learning about Stillbirth as an MNH priority can be found on the related Healthy Newborn Network site , which provides a global overview of the global burden of stillbirth, a summary of the evidence, as well as key resources, blog posts, and related features in the news.
Communities of Practice
Join the following maternal and newborn health-focused communities of practice (CoPs) below to share, debate and discuss knowledge, evidence, and experiences of stillbirth. Explore AlignMNH’s page of maternal and newborn communities of practice for additional communities.